Understanding the Terminology of Support Animals

The world of support animals is growing rapidly, offering incredible benefits to people with various needs. However, confusion abounds with terms like "therapy animal" and "emotional support animal" often overlapping or being used interchangeably. A recent study by Howell et al. sought to clarify and redefine these terms to ensure consistency and reduce misunderstandings among professionals, policymakers, and the public.

The Study and Its Process

This collaborative effort included over 100 experts in anthrozoology, attending workshops in 2018 and 2020. Participants reviewed literature and discussed definitions to form a consensus on key terms related to animals that support humans.

Key Findings: The Nine Terms Defined

1. Assistance Animal: An umbrella term for animals trained to perform tasks aiding a person with a disability, including guide dogs, hearing dogs, and medical alert animals. These animals have public access rights and undergo advanced training.
2. Companion Animal: Simply a pet with no specific training for support roles, valued for companionship rather than any structured assistance.
3. Educational/School Support Animal: Animals working in schools to facilitate structured, goal-oriented programs led by educators to enhance learning or development.
4. Emotional Support Animal: A legal category primarily recognized in the U.S. that refers to animals providing emotional benefits to those with diagnosed disabilities. Unlike assistance animals, they do not need special training and typically lack public access rights.
5. Facility Animal: A broad term for animals that work in specific places like hospitals or courts to support staff or vulnerable individuals. The term is recommended to be reserved for legal settings and renamed "justice facility animal" to avoid overlap with other categories.
6. Service Animal: This term aligns with assistance animals in many countries but can also mean something different, such as police or military animals in the UK. The authors recommend phasing it out due to its ambiguity.
7. Skilled Companion Animal: Refers to trained support animals usually handled by a facilitator (e.g., a parent of a child with autism). It is suggested to merge this category under "assistance animals" due to the potential confusion with regular companion animals.
8. Therapy Animal: Animals incorporated into structured, therapeutic programs led by qualified health professionals to aid in treatment outcomes, such as helping with mobility therapy or psychological support.
9. Visitation/Visiting Animal: Well-trained animals that volunteer with their owners to visit facilities like hospitals to enhance well-being without specific therapy goals.

Why This Matters

The paper by Howell et al. brings much-needed clarity to the growing field of animal-assisted support, promoting better understanding and consistency worldwide. This shift will not only assist in legal and healthcare contexts but also ensure that animals are treated as essential, active partners in human care, with their welfare at the forefront.

Conclusion

Defining these roles more clearly helps pave the way for better regulations and practices, ensuring both humans and their animal partners thrive.